Weekly Cash Game, Pt. 1

It looks like this is going to be a Thursday-Saturday (Friday-Sunday on updates) blog as those are the days that the local cash games are held and I don't really do that much online.

I wish I had some interesting hands to post, but I don't. Probably the biggest hand was when I turned the nut straight, made a big check-raise against the button, got called in two places and the river completed both the flush and the higher straight. BB goes all-in and I fold. Nothing terribly exciting. The rest of it was just me grinding it out and making smart bets. I pretty much played close to theoretically optimal NL poker. Even with that one big hand, this was still my best night so far. I ended being up 3 buy-ins.

So to keep this interesting, I'll start talking about the players and my strategy against them. Today I'll talk about my good "buddy" Art. If you've ever played with the asshole at the table, this is your guy. He's cocky, swears, berates other people's play, and is easy to tilt. So that what I do. It's also nice that he thinks I'm pretty bad. Last week, he asked me if I learned poker on ESPN. I said yeah, I watched it a lot. Then yesterday when I sat down, the first thing out his mouth is "easy money!" And then I tilt him in the easiest manner: I be myself. It really annoys him when I talk. And I do it constantly. Make a little breach of etiquette here, a little breach there and he gets worked up. And when he tilts, he becomes a loose-aggressive calling station. He'll make poor raises preflop, try to bluff you out and will call down decent bets when it's clear he's beaten. He re-bought 4 times since when I sat down. And I would just make small talk to the other players, crack a few jokes. Comment on the hands after they were done with donkey stuff like "hey, it's poker" or "Aren't we supposed to be having fun here?". I just try to be a bubbly air-head and it really gets to this guy.

As far as poker strategy, I play my big hands big, my small hands small, and I set some traps against him. Flopping a monster against him is a great time to check. This is the type of guys who never believes you and wants to bluff you out. I love it.